Republican Rep. August Pflueger introduced new legislation Friday that would prohibit the president from imposing a nationwide ban on fracking without Congressional consent.
Pfluger's “Protecting America's Energy Production Act” would explicitly require an act of Congress to impose a moratorium on fracking and would prevent the president from doing so directly. Several Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who ran for president in 2020, have called for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, either de facto or de jure.
“It is the feeling of Congress that states should maintain primacy in regulating hydraulic fracturing for the production of oil and natural gas on federal and private lands,” the bill reads. “Notwithstanding any other law, the President may not declare a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing unless the moratorium is authorized by an act of Congress.'' (Related: 'Not promoting expansion': Harris climate change adviser only softens Kamala's pro-fracking position touted for weeks)
Protecting America's energy… by nick pope
Some blue states — including new york and California have passed legislation or taken other steps to crack down on fracking. Numerous projects that have raised ample funds environmental activist organization They have also advocated for years to ban hydraulic fracturing.
“The Biden administration has spent the past four years attacking the U.S. energy industry, most recently seeking to shut it down by banning nearly all new U.S. offshore drilling projects,” Pflueger said in a statement. Ta. “It is up to Republicans and President Trump to reestablish America’s energy independence and dominance in the 119th Congress. This is why my first bill in the 119th Congress will protect America’s energy industry and consumers. That’s why we protect them from the federal government.”
More broadly, President Joe Biden has taken a number of steps to reduce fossil fuel production during his one term in office. His key policy decisions include a ban on new oil and gas leases across 625 million acres of federally managed waters, a failed 2021 attempt to ban new oil and gas leases on federal lands, and a ban on liquefied natural gas. This includes freezing new export licenses for almost a year. .
In contrast, on his way back to the White House, President-elect Donald Trump aggressively campaigned on unlocking U.S. fossil fuel production, including hydraulic fracturing.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
